WELCOME TO SCOREKEEPING 101

Hosted by: Dave Lack

Home Team is the Official scorekeeper

Who is the scorekeeper?

The person responsible for recording the events of the game!

Visiting Team Scorebook is UNOFFICIAL

What will I need to keep score?

A Sharp Pencil (.05 pencil works best) - back up pencil - hi-lighter

An Eraser (yes you will make mistakes)

Introduce yourself to the umpire (if they don’t do it first) Record Official Start Time of Game Get this from the Umpire! Make sure to confirm the time with the visiting team

Arrive 15 minutes early! Record the team line ups (Batting Order) in the scorebook -  Player Name and Jersey Number -  Last names preferred (first name is ok and position numbers are optional)

Levels of Play and Score Keeping requirements of each: T-Ball: Just keep track of the batting order, no score is kept. Rookie: Batting order, outs in an inning, and runs per inning. Single A to Juniors: Full scorekeeping including pitch count and pitching substitutions.

• Each manager will provide you with a line up card. • In the lower divisions (You may receive a sheet outlining the whole game). •Some umpires want to see line-up prior to the scorekeeper (usually in tournament play).

The Line-Up Card

Types of Line Up Cards

You will need to transfer the line up to the scorebook.

Substitutions: Create an area to write your subs down.

The Pitcher’s information is entered on the page he/she is facing.

Abbreviations

Keeping track of balls and strikes…

Scorekeeping an Inning…

Keeping track of pitches

• Pitching changes and player substitutions are noted in the scorebook. • Make sure you write them down on your note paper first then transfer the information to the book. Many times the umpires say them quickly and it is difficult to write them clearly in the book.

Let’s talk changes…

More scoring including changes

Remembers these things…

Take  a  Swing    

Hopefully,  the  above  examples  will  give  you  an  idea  about  how  scorekeeping  is  done.    Also,  don't  be  afraid  to  experiment.  What  works  best  for  others  may  not  be  best  for  you.    

Now on to Scorekeeping 102…Calculating Statistics and the dropped 3rd strike

Dropped 3rd Strike q  If the batter reaches first base on a wild pitch third strike. The play would be recorded “K WP” (wild pitches are considered the pitcher’s fault)

q If the batter reaches first base on a passed ball third strike. The play would be recorded “K PB” (passed balls are considered the catcher’s fault)

q If the third strike is uncaught, but the catcher throws the batter out at first. The play would be recorded “K 2-3”. The “2” signifies the catcher’s position and the “3” represents the first baseman. If, by some chance, another player gets in the putout, score the play with the appropriate positional numbers.

q If the third strike is uncaught, and the catcher tags out the batter before he reaches first. The play would be recorded “K 2U”. The “U” represents unassisted, meaning the catcher made the putout himself.

Note: In all instances, even if the batter reaches first base, the pitcher and the batter both receive a strikeout. Pitchers can conceivably record more than three strikeouts in an inning. The hitter gets an “0-for-1” in the box score

Definitions

q  Batting Average q  OBP – On Base Percentage q  SP – Slugging Percentage q  Earned Run Average

BATTING AVERAGE (total hits) / (official at-bats)

25 / 58 = .431 BA

On-Base Percentage (hits + walks + hits by pitch) / (at-bats + walks + hits by pitch + sacrifice flies)

(15+6+2 = 23) / (28 + 6 + 2+ 3 = 39) = .589 OBP

Slugging Percentage (total bases) / (at-bats)

(19 bases / 29 at-bats = .655 SP)

The number of total bases only includes those obtained from hits;

not from errors, walks, or interference calls.

Earned Run Definition

In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable (i.e., the run scored as a result of normal pitching, and not due to a fielding error or a passed ball). All others are unearned runs. An error made by the pitcher in fielding his position is counted the same as an error by any other player

To determine whether a run is earned, the official scorer must reconstruct the inning as it would have occurred without the errors (for purposes of this rule, the “errors” also include passed balls). The benefit of the doubt is always given to the pitcher in determining which bases would have been reached by errorless play.

A run is counted as unearned when: q  A batter reaches base on an error, and later scores a run in that inning.

q  A batter or runner advances one or more bases on an error and scores on a play that would otherwise not have provided the opportunity to score.

q  A base runner scores after the third out would have been made

UNEARNED RUNS

Earned Run Average (earned runs x regulation innings in game) /

(Innings pitched) (6,7,9)

(10ER x 6) = 60) / (20 ) = 3.00 ERA

(10ER x 7) = 70) / (20) = 3.50 ERA

(10ER x 9) = 90) / (20) = 4.50 ERA

HELPFUL WEBSITES

q  Baseball Almanac www.baseball-almanac.com

q  Wikipedia – Statistics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_statistics

q  Scoring rules http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/official_scorer_10.jsp

q  Guide to Scoring http://swingleydev.com/baseball/full_tutorial.pdf

GOOD LUCK